Save the date for the Honors Program annual trivia night: Nerd Wars! The event will take place this spring on February 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center. Be on the lookout for more detailed information about the event (including registration, participation, and MORE) coming to you at the start of the new semester.
Have an amazing Winter Recess and we will see you back on campus soon!

Submitted by Blake Elliott be80@evansville.edu

Beginning in January 2019, the University of Evansville and Ivy Tech Community College will partner to offer a dual admission program, which will offer students a structured, guaranteed pathway for attaining both a two- and four-year degree.

Students in any major who meet all dual admission program admission standards are guaranteed acceptance to UE and will receive an $18,000 per year scholarship toward UE tuition. 

“We will provide a guaranteed transition from an Ivy Tech associate’s degree to a UE bachelor’s degree by providing one integrated curriculum plan right from the start,” said UE president Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz. 

Dual admission program students will begin by taking classes at Ivy Tech Community College and will have access to all the benefits offered to UE students from the very beginning of their college career. They will have access to on-campus housing and will have full use of the UE library, computer labs, and other academic spaces. They will also have access to advising, student affairs, financial aid, and career services prior to full admission. Additionally, dual admission program students may attend student activities such as sporting and cultural events at both institutions.

“We are pleased to partner with UE to offer a seamless transition for our students who desire to continue their education after attaining their associate degree,” said Ivy Tech chancellor Jonathan Weinzapfel. “Through this partnership we are creating a different pathway; a different option for students to be successful. It is also very beneficial that our students will have the opportunity to access all student spaces on campus, including housing, from the beginning of their collegiate career.”

“Students will reap the benefits of both institutions during the entirety of their college career,” said Pietruszkiewicz. “Not only will course credits seamlessly transfer, but by having the support from both institutions and access to UE services and experiences from the beginning, it will allow for an easy personal transition as well.”

In addition to the dual admission program, UE and Ivy Tech have many articulation agreements in place to allow for an easy transition between institutions. Credits from Ivy Tech programs including engineering, nursing, education, criminal justice, and supply chain management are already automatically accepted at the University of Evansville toward completion of a four-year degree.

To learn more or apply for the dual admission program, visit https://www.evansville.edu/dual-admission.

In order to process the payroll before the holiday break for the December 28th bi-weekly payroll, the Office of Fiscal Affairs/Payroll is asking all staff to enter their time on Web Advisor for the pay period December 9-22 by Friday, December 14. Supervisors are asked to approve by Monday, December 17.

If you have any questions, please contact Gloria Spencer at ext. 2159 or email gs55@evansville.edu.

Students, staff, faculty, and administrators are invited to play in the University Symphony Orchestra and String Ensemble. The University Symphony Orchestra meets on Monday at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. The String Ensemble meets on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the Krannert Hall of Fine Arts. Join us!

E-mail Chun-Ming Chen, director of orchestral activities, at cc319@evansville.edu for more information.

The Student Health Center will be closed for Winter Break starting Saturday, December 15 through Sunday, January 13. The Student Health Center will resume normal business hours on Monday, January 14 at 8:00 a.m. We wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season. If you have an emergency, call campus security at 812-488-2051 or dial 911. 

Submitted by Tara Ulrich tu19@evansville.edu

The Employee Health Clinic will remain open during Winter Break. The clinic will run on normal business hours with the following exceptions: closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, reduced hours on New Year’s Eve, and closed New Year’s Day. If you need assistance, please call Tri-State Community Clinics at 888-492-8722.

Submitted by Tara Ulrich tu19@evansville.edu

Please note that the Office of Administrative Services (purchasing, copy services, mail services, recycling, environmental management, and central receiving) will be closed for a Christmas staff luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 18.

Submitted by Kim Winsett kw83@evansville.edu 

Does your department need something that doesn’t have to be brand new like a piece of furniture or equipment? Check out the surplus (property disposal) website on AceLink Areas at acelink.evansville.edu/Areas/PropertyDisposal/ and complete a Wish List Email Request for Surplus Property to let your need be known.

Once on the surplus website, click on the Wish List Email Request for Surplus Property link and save the request form. After completing your Wish request, copy and paste it into an e-mail to centralreceiving@evansville.edu. Surplus requests will be matched to surplus property as it becomes available on a first come, first served basis.

Now is a great time to make your request known.

For questions, contact Kim Winsett, Director of Administrative Services, at kw83@evansville.edu or ext. 2940.

Submitted by Kim Winsett kw83@evansville.edu

Tony Richardson, associate professor and director of the electrical engineering program at the University of Evansville, received the University’s Exemplary Teacher Award during UE’s winter commencement exercise on Thursday, December 13.

The Exemplary Teacher Award is given by the University to an exceptional member of the faculty in acknowledgment of his or her teaching excellence.

Richardson became a member of UE’s faculty in 2000. His specialty areas are digital signal processing and electronic communication. Richardson has developed courses in his discipline that are required by all of UE’s electrical engineering and computer engineering majors. He is highly sought after as a senior project advisor, and he understands the curriculum so well that he advises students with the most challenging schedules. Richardson is extremely popular among students and consistently scores near the top of his department in teaching evaluations.

Richardson earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Duke University, his MS in electrical engineering from Syracuse University, and his BS in electrical engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Leadership Evansville has nominated Mandy Ford's STEM project at Joshua Academy in the Arts category for Celebration of Evansville March 14, at the Old National Events Plaza. The ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. Mandy earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from UE in 2017 and is currently pursuing her M.S. Leadership degree. Her coursework has equipped her to be a servant leader as a Title I instructor at Joshua Academy.

Another big test is on tap for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team with the Purple Aces playing host to Jacksonville State in a 1:00 p.m.

“Jacksonville State is an athletic, tough team. They attack the paint and have guys who are athletic, who play above and attack the rim,” Aces head coach Walter McCarty said. “We have to guard our yard; do tough things and make them score over us.”

Setting the Scene
- Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between UE and Jacksonville State
- The teams will meet up again next season in Jacksonville, Ala.
- Last week’s win over Ball State saw the Aces move to 5-0 at home for the fourth year in a row; UE has also won 34 non-conference home games in a row
- UE’s bench has outscored its counterparts in six of the last seven games
- The program is averaging 4,759 fans per game through its five opening contests at the Ford Center

Last Time Out  
- Trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half of Sunday’s game against Ball State, the Purple Aces embarked on a 44-11 run that turned a 43-26 deficit into a 70-54 lead
- UE would win the game by a final of 89-77 to improve to 5-0 at the Ford Center this season
- Shea Feehan set his career mark with 29 points and went 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the win
- K.J. Riley (14), Marty Hill (12), Evan Kuhlman (11) and John Hall (10) also posted double figures; Hall led the Aces with 10 rebounds, posting his second double-double of the season
- Evansville shot 90% (27/30) from the line, making a huge difference in the victory

Takeaways from Ball State
- Shea Feehan’s 29 points was the most scored by an Evansville player this season; 17 of those points came during the game-changing 44-11 run
- John Hall grabbed a game-high 10 boards; he has 10+ rebounds in four out of the five home contests and is averaging 9.4 per game at the Ford Center
- The Aces were held to 26.5% shooting in the first half against the Cardinals, but upped that to 58.1% in the second half to finish the game shooting 41.5%
- Evansville’s defense helped BSU to 36.7% shooting in the final 20 minutes after they shot 58.6% in the opening stanza

Perfect at Home  
- For the fourth year in a row, the Aces have started 5-0 at home
- With Sunday’s triumph over the Cardinals, Evansville has now won 34-consecutive home non-conference games
- The last non-conference loss came against Murray State in December of 2014

Tops in the League 
- With 7.11 defensive rebounds per game, John Hall leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is 25th in the nation
- His total of 7.9 caroms ranks third in the MVC; he hauled in 12 boards in home wins over Texas Southern and Albion
- Hall has 10+ rebounds in four out of the five home games

Playing with Pace  
- According to KenPom.com, the Aces are averaging 75.1 possessions per game, which ranks 16th in the nation
- It is a large disparity from last season when UE was 295th in the country, averaging 65.7 possessions

Scouting the Opponent
- Jacksonville State is 5-4 entering Saturday’s contest; the Gamecocks had a 5-game win streak halted on Wednesday as they dropped a 69-65 game at Wichita State
- Jason Burnell leads a trio of double figure scorers for JSU, posting 14.1 points per game
- Burnell is a threat everywhere on the floor, leading the team with 8.1 rebounds per game and a total of 31 assists on the season
- Marlon Hunter and Jamall Gregory check in with 11.2 and 10.1 points per game, respectively